Air conditioner

ABSTRACT

An air conditioner has a function of carrying a mist of charged minute water particles on a ventilated air being blown into a room. The air conditioner includes a blower blowing the ventilated air and an atomizing unit configured to be supplied with water and to electrostatically atomize it into the mist of minute charged water particles. A housing of the air conditioner is divided by a partition into a flow channel leading from an air inlet to an air outlet and a compartment accommodating therein the atomizing unit. A feed conduit extends from a feed port of the atomizing unit into a flow channel through the partition to feed the mist to the air being blown out through the air outlet, while the atomizing unit is isolated from the flow channel to minimize flow resistance.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed to an air conditioner which isconfigured to blow an air flow carrying a mist of charged minute waterparticles for deodorizing a room environment.

BACKGROUND ART

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-234245 discloses an air conditionerwhich incorporates an atomizing unit which generates a mist of thecharged minute water particles for carrying the mist on an air flowblown from the air conditioner. In the air conditioner, the atomizingunit is disposed in the course of an air flow to give considerable flowresistance, thereby lowering air flow efficiency.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above problem, the present invention is accomplished toprovide an improved air conditioner which is capable of exhibiting thedeodorizing effect, yet without lowering the air flow efficiency. Theair conditioner in accordance with the present invention includes ahousing incorporating a blower and an atomizing unit. The housing isprovided with an air inlet, an air outlet, and an internal flow channelleading from the air inlet to the air outlet. The blower is disposed inthe flow channel and is configured to draw the air through the air inletand blow the air out through the air outlet. The atomizing unit isconfigured to be supplied with water and to electrostatically atomize itinto a mist of minute charged water particles. The mist is discharge outof a feed port of the atomizing unit. The housing has a partition whichdivides an interior of the housing into the flow channel and acompartment within which the atomizing unit is mounted. A feed conduitextends from the feed port of the atomizing unit into the flow channelthrough the partition to feed the mist to the air being blown outthrough the air outlet. Thus, the atomizing unit is isolated from theflow channel to minimize flow resistance, thereby assuring efficient airflow carrying the mist thereon for deodorization over a wide space inthe room.

Preferably, the feed conduit is made of a flexible material to be bentintermediate at its opposite ends so that it can be routed from theatomizing unit to an optimum point in the flow channel for improvingdesign flexibility

Further, the air outlet of the housing is preferred to be provided witha louver to which the feed conduit extends for merging the mist of thecharged minute water particles in the air just leaving the air outletand directed to a particular direction. Thus, the mist can be conveyedalong a desired direction for improving the deodorizing effect.

In this connection, one of slats of the louver is preferred to be mademovable about a pivot axis and to include a duct which a connector forthe feed conduit. The connector is aligned with the pivot axis and isconfigured to catch the feed conduit in such a manner that the feedconduit is rotatable relative to the connector about the pivot axis.Thus, the mist can be directed in a desired direction defined by theangle of the movable slat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side section of an air conditioner in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an atomizing unit employed in the aboveair conditioner;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the above atomizing unit;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a principal part of the above atomizingunit;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a slat utilized in the aboveconditioner; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the slat shown at an angle differentfrom that of FIG. 5.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an air conditioner in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The airconditioner includes a housing 10 incorporating a blower 30, a heatexchanger 40, and an atomizing unit 50. The housing 10 is formed in itsfront wall with an air inlet 12 and an air outlet 14 respectively in itsupper and lower parts of the front wall. The blower 30 is disposed in aflow channel leading from the air inlet 12 to the air outlet 14 to drawthe air through the air inlet and blow it out through the air outlet.The heat exchanger 40 is disposed in the flow channel upstream of theblower to cool or heat the air being blown out into a room.

A partition 16 is formed in the housing 10 to divide an interior spaceof the housing into a flow channel 13 leading from the air inlet 12 tothe air outlet 14, and a compartment 17 accommodating therein theatomizing unit 50. The atomizing unit 50 is configured to generate amist of charged minute water particles which is carried on the air beingblown out of the air outlet 14. A drip pan 42 is disposed below the heatexchanger 40 and the blower 30 to receive droplets of condensed waterdripping from the heat exchanger 40. The water is drained out through adrain pipe 44 extending through a rear wall of the housing 10. The drippan 42 has its rear end terminated in a spaced relation with the rearwall to define therebetween a gap through which the air is directed fromthe blower 30 towards the partition 16. The partition 16 is arcuatelycurved to direct the air to the air outlet 14 for smoothly blowing theair out through the air outlet 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the atomizing unit 50 includes an atomizer 60disposed in a casing 52 with a top air intake 54 and a bottom air exit56. The atomizer 60 is disposed in a bottom of the casing 52 andincludes a cylindrical barrel 62 carrying an emitter electrode 70 and anopposed electrode 72. The emitter electrode 70 projects in the center ofthe barrel 62, while the opposed electrode 72 is fixed at the front endof the barrel 62 in an opposite relation to the emitter electrode 70.The opposed electrode 72 is shaped from an electrically conductivesubstrate with a circular opening 74 which has an inner periphery spacedfrom a tip of the emitter electrode 70 to define a discharge port ofdischarging the mist. The atomizer 60 includes cooling means 80 and ahigh voltage source 95. The cooling means 80 is coupled to cool theemitter electrode 70 in order to condense the water content carried inthe surrounding air on the emitter electrode 70, thereby supplying thewater thereto. The high voltage source 95 is configured to apply a highvoltage across the emitter electrode 70 and the opposed electrode 72 soas to charge the water on the emitter electrode 70 and atomize it intothe charged minute water particles to be discharged out through thecircular opening 74, i.e., the discharge port of the atomizer.

The cooling means 80 is realized by a Peltier module having a coolingside coupled to the emitter electrode 70, and having thermo-electricelements which, upon being applied with a predetermined voltage, coolsthe emitter electrode to a temperature below a dew point of the water.The Peltier module has a plurality of thermo-electric elements arrangedin parallel with each between thermal conductors 81 and 82 to cool theemitter electrode 70 at a cooling rate determined by a variable voltagegiven from a cooling electric source circuit 85. One thermal conductor81 defining the cooling side is coupled to the emitter electrode 70,while the other thermal conductor 82 defining the heat radiation side isprovided with a heat radiator 84. The Peltier module is fixed betweenthe bottom of the barrel 62 and the heat radiator 84 with its coolingside conductor 81 in heat transfer contact with a root of the emitterelectrode 70. The high voltage source 95 is configured to apply apredetermined high voltage across the emitter electrode 70 and thegrounded opposed electrode to give a negative or positive voltage (forexample, −4.6 kV) to the emitter electrode 70. The cooling electricsource 85 and the high voltage source 95 are packed in a circuit module90 disposed in an upper portion of the casing 52. The atomizing unit 50further includes a cooling fan 55 which is configured to draw the airfrom the air intake 54 and expel it out of the air exit 56 for coolingthe circuit module 90 and the heat radiator 84. The resulting air flowis partly introduced into the inside of the barrel 62 of the atomizer 60through openings 64 of the barrel 62 for condensing the water content ofthe air on the emitter electrode 70. In this connection, the housing 10is formed in its rear wall with an opening 18 through which the air istaken into the casing 52 of the atomizing unit 50. The air flowgenerated by the cooling fan 55 is also utilized to discharge the mistout of the opening 74 of the opposed electrode 72.

The casing 52 is provided at its lower end with a feed port 58 which isaligned with the opening 74 of the atomizer 60 and is coupled with afeed conduit 100 for feeding the mist of the charged minute waterparticles to the air being blown out through the air outlet 14. The feedconduit 100 is bent intermediate at its opposite ends to project its oneend through the partition 16 into the flow channel 13 of the housing 10.The feed conduit 100 is made of a flexible material so as to be bent ata desired angle and kept the angled shape for directing the mist along adesired direction towards the air outlet 14 of the housing 10. Theflexible material may be selected from antistatic plastic materialsincluding ABS, PS, PP, and PA.

The air outlet 14 is provided with a louver 20 having a plurality ofmovable slats 22 each configured to pivot about a horizontal pivot axisfor deflecting the air blown out through the air outlet 14. As shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, one of the slats 21 may be provided with a duct 24directing the mist to the air just leaving the air outlet 14. The duct24 is embedded in the slat 22 and has its front opening exposed at afront edge of the slat 22, and has is rear end projected in a recess 23at the rear edge of the slat 22. The rear end of the duct 24 is fixed toa tubular connector 26 which is aligned with the pivot axis defined bypivot pins 21 projecting on opposite sides of the slat 22. The connector26 is configured to receive the front end of the conduit 100 in such amanner that the connector 26 can move together with the slat 22 relativeto the conduit 100 about the pivot axis. Thus, the duct 100 movestogether with the slat 22 to direct the mist in the direction determinedby the angle of the slat 22. While the slat 22 rotates about the pivotaxis, the recess 23 is responsible for avoiding the contact of the slat22 with the connector 26 and the associated portion of the conduit 100.

In a modification of the above embodiment, the conduit 100 may beconfigured to extend to the air outlet 14 at a position not interferingwith the slats of the louver 20.

1. An air conditioner comprising: a housing configured to have an airinlet (12), an air outlet (14), and an internal flow channel (13)leading from said air inlet to said air outlet; a blower (30) disposedin said flow channel within said housing and configured to draw the airthrough said air inlet and blow the air out through said air outlet; anatomizing unit (50) configured to be supplied with water and toelectrostatically atomize it into a mist of minute charged waterparticles, said atomizing unit having a feed port (58) for dischargingsaid mist; said housing having a partition (16) which divides aninterior of said housing into said flow channel and a compartment (17)within which said atomizing unit is mounted, wherein a feed conduit(100) extends from said feed port of the atomizing unit into said flowchannel through said partition to feed the mist to the air being blownout through said air outlet.
 2. An air conditioner as set forth in claim1, wherein said feed conduit is configured to be capable of being bentat a portion intermediate its opposite ends.
 3. An air conditioner asset forth in claim 1, wherein said feed conduit extends into a louver(20) provided at said air outlet.
 4. An air conditioner as set forth inclaim 1, wherein said air outlet is provided with a louver (20)including a slat (22) movable about a pivot axis, said slat having aduct with a connector (26) for said feed conduit, said connector beingaligned with said pivot axis and configured to catch said feed conduitin such a manner that said feed conduit is rotatable relative to saidconnector about said pivot axis.
 5. An air conditioner as set forth inclaim 4, wherein said duct is embedded in said slat to dispose its frontopening at a front edge of said slant and to have its rear openingcoupled to feed conduit by means of said connector.